Bearing Brands... Any up and comers?

[Finnz922]

Any of you know any bearing brands that aren't big names that produce a quality bearing for spool bearings at a much cheaper price than Hedgehog, ZPI, and Bocas? I know you usually get what you pay for but I was thinking maybe someone is trying to get their foot in the door and prices are low to get the ball rolling and people interested.

I have ZPIs and Bocas and both are great bearings but just wondering if there is anything else out there that is not talked about because people don't want the word getting around. If you know one and are willing to share PM me. Thanks.

[fishingandfords]

other then the orange seals from ebay

[white84z]

Big green fish produces a damn nice abec 7 stainless bearing. Not much cheaper than bocas but dead quiet and super fast. Great guy to deal with to boot.

[Finnz922]

Big green fish produces a damn nice abec 7 stainless bearing. Not much cheaper than bocas but dead quiet and super fast. Great guy to deal with to boot.

I've heard that. Have you ever compared the two? As in same set up to see if one is better than the other?

[trent_s]

Big green fish produces a damn nice abec 7 stainless bearing. Not much cheaper than bocas but dead quiet and super fast. Great guy to deal with to boot.

I've heard that. Have you ever compared the two? As in same set up to see if one is better than the other?

This borders on blasphemy...but I liked my Big Green Fish bearings better than my BOCA's...but I sold that reel. I intend to buy another pair.

Also you mentioned the Hedgehog bearings...The Hedgehog Air BFS bearings are the absolute fastest bearings I've ever used.

[white84z]

Big green fish produces a damn nice abec 7 stainless bearing. Not much cheaper than bocas but dead quiet and super fast. Great guy to deal with to boot.

I've heard that. Have you ever compared the two? As in same set up to see if one is better than the other?

I have not. I sold the reel they were in, but i plan on getting another set for a new reel.

[Cagey]

other then the orange seals from ebay

This X2. Those Chinese orange seal ceramic hybrid bearings are as good as Boca's IMO. So far I am up to more than 50 bearings strong and all work flawlessly and smooth. I am about to order another batch- and I order them dry lube only. When I get them I remove the orange seals and toss them into the trash and install. I presently have near 30 reels using them and plan on using them in other reels. Can't beat them for the price. (Many Boca bearings are made in China too, but their price is made in America.)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/50pcs-Hybrid-Ce ... 3cd1b07f50

[DougL58]

other then the orange seals from ebay

This X2. Those Chinese orange seal ceramic hybrid bearings are as good as Boca's IMO. So far I am up to more than 50 bearings strong and all work flawlessly and smooth. I am about to order another batch- and I order them dry lube only. When I get them I remove the orange seals and toss them into the trash and install. I presently have near 30 reels using them and plan on using them in other reels. Can't beat them for the price. (Many Boca bearings are made in China too, but their price is made in America.)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/50pcs-Hybrid-Ce ... 3cd1b07f50

This X3. Been using them for a year.

[Crappielimits]

Thanks for info guys I have been wanting to try these bearings from EBay.

[goosed]

Big green fish produces a damn nice abec 7 stainless bearing. Not much cheaper than bocas but dead quiet and super fast. Great guy to deal with to boot.

I thought BGF's bearings are Bocas? He just buy's them in bulk. I have three sets and really like them, especially with 321.

[fishingandfords]

Big green fish produces a damn nice abec 7 stainless bearing. Not much cheaper than bocas but dead quiet and super fast. Great guy to deal with to boot.

I thought BGF's bearings are Bocas? He just buy's them in bulk. I have three sets and really like them, especially with 321.

Never heard that

[white84z]

As far as I know he has them made by someone. Could be boca.... not sure. However they are quieter than my all stainless boca 7's. Hope this helps.

[Cagey]

As far as I know he has them made by someone. Could be boca.... not sure. However they are quieter than my all stainless boca 7's. Hope this helps.

As far as I know and understand what Boca does, they are not a bearing manufacturer. They are a distributor more than anything else and the bearings they stock are made for them all over the world:

http://www.globalspec.com/supplier/about/bocabearing

Boca Bearing Company:

Since 1987, one of the primary goals at Boca Bearing Company has been to maintain the world's largest inventory of miniature bearings in the most popular metric (0.6 mm to 75 mm) and inch sizes (0.040 to 1.750 inch). Boca Bearings has supplied Chrome Steel, Stainless Steel, Ceramic Hybrid, Full Ceramic Bearings & offers Thin Film Lubricant Coatings for demanding applications in:

Medical Industries
Aerospace
Defense
Nuclear & High Tech
Vacuum Equipment / UHF
Petroleum & Gas
Injection Molding
Machine Tool
Food Processing
Flow Meter Production and Repair
Semiconductor Production
Radio Control industries worldwide

Boca Bearing Company has an extensive inventory of special sizes, styles, and materials, including flanged bearings with special sealing. Products include radial bearings, angular contact bearings, inserts, thrust bearings, one way bearings, pressure roller bearings, self aligning ball bearings, double row ball bearings, rod ends, spherical plain bearings, taper roller bearings, timing belts and balls. Boca Bearing Services include Thin Film Lubricant Coating. Full ceramic bearings can be supplied in Metric sizes from 4 mm & up in bore dia. (available in ZRO2, SIC & SI3N4). Balls are available in 52100 chrome steel (size range 0.5 mm to 4 inches), 302 & 440C stainless steel orcCeramic materials like AL2O3, SI3N4 or ZRO2 (size range 0.5 mm to 2 inches). Boca Bearing Company has over 3000 different sizes and well over 2 million items in stock.

Targeted products for the Thin Film Lube include, but are not limited to: ball bearings, linear bearings, ball screws, valves, gars, chains, sprockets, slides, shafts, splines, fasteners, recording gauges, stamping dies, punches, cutting tools, drills, etc. Boca Bearing can work with products supplied by you and comply with NDA for proprietary info.

Whether your needs call for a few bearings or a few thousand, you can always rely on Boca Bearings for unsurpassed service. The Boca Bearing Company takes pride in having extremely competitive prices, rapid response to quotes and on-time deliveries.

Boca Bearing Company is your only choice when it comes to finding the right bearings for your Radio Control / Industrial applications. Boca Bearing Company has supplied bearings for Woodworking routers, Medical & Lab Equipment, Robotics & Automation, Industrial Machinery, Instrumentation, Security Systems, Food Equipment, Optics, UAV, SMT, Fishing Reels, Flow Meters, Remote Visual Inspection, Go Karts, Bikes, Triggers and many more applications.

Boca Bearing Company’s e-commerce enabled website and Boca Bearings' catalogs have been produced as a tool to help you determine your bearing requirements. If you need additional information or you are looking for a size and style that is not listed, please contact our office.

-------------------------------------------------

In the above company purpose and description is not one word about Boca making or manufacturing anything. It is all about stocking the largest inventory of bearings MADE by others, not them.

"The Boca Bearing Company takes pride in having extremely competitive prices..." uh yeah right. Let's see, a pair of reel bearings from Boca is $20 to $30.00 plus shipping while the same thing bought elsewhere is $8.00 with free shipping.

So if I were to do 10 reels at Boca prices I'd be looking at $200 to $300.00 while the same can be done with other bearings for about $40.00. A very significant difference for those of us with more than 30 reels to upgrade.

Boca buys low and sells for an extremely high markup- an unreasonably high markup in my opinion. The markup of their bearings is artificially inflated for their profit which means not in my best interest. And this is why I avoid them like the plague! Any bearings I need I can find somewhere else for the correct prices.

No doubt Boca sells good bearings. No complaints about the quality of their products, but their prices is another story. I like to buy low too!

[phatbass]

other then the orange seals from ebay

This X2. Those Chinese orange seal ceramic hybrid bearings are as good as Boca's IMO. So far I am up to more than 50 bearings strong and all work flawlessly and smooth. I am about to order another batch- and I order them dry lube only. When I get them I remove the orange seals and toss them into the trash and install. I presently have near 30 reels using them and plan on using them in other reels. Can't beat them for the price. (Many Boca bearings are made in China too, but their price is made in America.)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/50pcs-Hybrid-Ce ... 3cd1b07f50

x4

[falcon]

How long did delivery take on these bearings